The Deadline (The Friessens: A New Beginning)

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “Excuse me,” a young man in blue scrubs interrupted. “Doctor Siegel said you were going to be tested as a match for your son.” He looked to Laura and then Andy. “We can do it right now, all of you. Doctor Siegel asked for a rush.”

  “You go first,” Andy said, “and then you take the babies home.”

  Gabriel cried out again, and Laura started into his room when Andy touched her shoulder to stop her.

  “I’ll stay with Gabriel,” he said. “It’s important you be tested right now. You’ll be the closest match, as his mother.”

  When Laura looked up at Andy, her strong, sexy alpha male who could handle anything, she could see the tension and worry he was doing his very best to hide. He was her super hero, her knight in shining armor, and she wondered when he would ever ask for help.

  Chapter 10

  It was horrible, the way Gabriel cried when they stuck him with a needle again to sedate him. Andy knew his son was terrified, and he snapped at the nurse or the intern or whoever it was to give them a minute. Maybe that was why the doctor was called in.

  “Andy, you have a second?” Doctor Siegel asked after Gabriel was quiet and sleepy, which took less than a minute after the sedative had been given.

  Andy wanted to pull his hair out, he was so frustrated. He wanted Gabriel to be all right so he could take him home. He couldn’t believe this was happening. They were all healthy, every one of them, or they should have been. Andy had the money and resources to make sure, but the cancer inside the little boy who was his in every sense except biologically…he couldn’t make that go away, and it left him feeling powerless.

  He didn’t say anything as he followed the doctor into the hallway, his shoes squeaking on the polished floor. The doctor had changed into blue scrubs, and he appeared even younger than when they had first met, maybe in his early forties.

  “I wanted to talk to you about your wife,” the doctor said.

  Andy stiffened and had to fight the urge to roll his shoulders back and keep his hands relaxed. He was ready to put his fist through a wall if it would get him somewhere, anywhere, because he wasn’t going to let anyone put his wife down or criticize her.

  “She’s not a match, and you were a long shot,” Siegel said. We’ll look for an unrelated donor, but that can lead to complications. I need to stress that time is not on our side, and depending on the outcome of the test tonight…”

  “Stop,” Andy interrupted. He needed to get a grip, as he was misreading everything. “Explain in English, please. What are you looking for? What do I need to do? My wife isn’t here, so I don’t want you to hold anything back. Where are we, exactly?”

  The doctor’s expression turned grim. “Exactly? Well, not good. From the preliminary blood work that came back, I’m concerned with how far the cancer has already spread. The lumbar puncture for the spinal fluid and the bone marrow aspiration and biopsy will tell us a lot more, but this type of leukemia is aggressive and will spread to the brain, spleen, spinal cord, liver, and lymph nodes. Right now, I don’t know the stage, so we need to find him a match quickly. The tissue type has to be identical to Gabriel’s, and that means a family match is what we need. You have to uncover every family member related to Gabriel and get them in here to be tested. Again, the outcome of the tests tonight will decide the course of the chemotherapy and possibly radiation, including how radical we need to be. We’re destroying all the cancer cells in the marrow along with all the healthy ones, meaning his immune system will be damaged. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Andy didn’t need a medical degree to know how serious the situation was. “We need that match as soon as you finish the cancer drugs, or my kid’s dead. Does that sum it up?” he said. His chest squeezed with a pain he wished could be physical, because this was beyond anything he’d ever experienced.

  The doctor shoved his hands in his white coat pockets and squared his shoulders. “Yes.”

  “So I need to find someone from Laura’s family or the family of the kid who fathered Gabriel, and hopefully one of them will be a match, right?”

  “The more family members you can find so we can test them, the better chance we have of finding a match. Depending on the outcome of the biopsy, we have a week or two at the most.”

  It was worse than Andy thought. He rubbed his scruffy jaw, and the doctor was pulled away by a nurse only to return a few minutes later.

  “Okay, we’re going to take him up now,” Doctor Siegel said. “We’ll get you gowned up so you can come in with him, and you can see him right after the procedure.”

  Then the doctor was gone, and Andy stepped back into his little boy’s hospital room. For the first time ever, he wondered what the hell he was going to do.

  Chapter 11

  It wasn’t often that Laura drove, and she could count on one hand the number of times she’d driven Andy’s fancy truck. He would never let her drive him around, not in this lifetime. He’d once said to her that men drive women, not the other way around, but Laura understood that was just the way Andy was. He took charge, made the decisions, and protected her and her children. He just had a very strong opinion of what real men were, but then, all the Friessen men were like that. Meeting his cousins, Jed, Brad, and Neil, Laura had seen it firsthand.

  She had also seen what it was to be loved by a Friessen man. It was a powerful and overwhelming feeling that she’d had to get her head around quickly, or else she was positive she would have lost her sense of self. She remembered how Andy had barked out that there was no way in hell she would drive while he sat idly on the passenger side like some useless namby-pamby—and those had been his exact words. There was something about that memory that eased the overwhelming despair she felt now. Her husband saw the roles of men and women as being so very black and white.

  The headlights on the truck flashed over another pickup when Laura pulled up to the front of the house. When she turned off the truck and slid out, she saw Kim stepping out of her own truck and coming around the back end. She wore a heavy coat and blue jeans, her hair in a ponytail.

  “Hey there, Laura,” Kim said. “Hope you don’t mind me just showing up here, but your husband called from the hospital and asked if I’d check on his horse, feed her, and give you a hand if you need it. He sounded worried on the phone.”

  Laura set her hand on the back door and wondered if Kim had picked up on her annoyance. She hated when Andy did this. It made her feel useless, as if he didn’t trust her. After all they’d been through together, she hoped he’d be past pulling stunts like this. “We’re fine,” Laura said, though she knew they weren’t. She ached and worried, and she knew she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep tonight. She was just being stubborn, digging her heels in to make a point, and she grumbled to herself.

  “I wouldn’t be, Laura,” Kim said. “I’d be a basket case if it was my kid in the hospital and I was sent home with the babies. I can only imagine how helpless you feel.”

  Laura’s eyes burned, and she fought back the tears. Maybe Kim really did understand. Maybe she should stop being such a cranky-pants.

  Kim reached over and rubbed her shoulder. “Hey, you’re not alone. Why don’t I help you in with these babies, make us some coffee or something, and you tell me when to go home? Around these parts, we tend to look after each other,” Kim said in a kind and supportive way that took the edge off Laura’s irritation.

  Laura didn’t say anything for the longest time, as she didn’t like asking for help from anyone. Andy knew that, and maybe that was why he had phoned Kim. She was still irritated, because it felt as if he had done it behind her back, but she said, “Okay, sure.”

  Kim helped her inside with the babies. As Laura nursed, changed, and bathed them, she could hear her neighbor in the kitchen, dishes clattering, most likely cleaning up the mess of their untouched dinner.

  With both babies tucked in and asleep, Laura walked with unease down her hallway, taking in the open concept, all the wood. She hesitated in the doorway
to the kitchen, watching Kim, who was humming away and looked so pretty in a light blue shirt. She had a trim figure, with curves in all the right places. She was taller than Laura, older and more confident, and Laura wondered why Andy would call her. It bothered her immensely.

  Kim glanced up. Her amazing deep brown eyes were filled with concern, which helped ease some of Laura’s anxiety. She kept jumping back and forth like a seesaw with this ridiculous jealousy, reading into something that probably wasn’t even there.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I cleaned up a bit,” Kim said. “Your dinner was out on the table, so I wrapped it up and put it in the fridge. It should still be good.” She gripped the washcloth in her hands and looked suddenly awkward. “I hope I’m not overstepping, here. If I am, let me know. When your husband called and asked me to come over and help, I could hear in his voice how worried he was about you.”

  “Well, my husband shouldn’t be calling other women to help me,” Laura said. The minute she did, she wanted to take it back. She felt her face warm. “Sorry, that was…” She wanted to say “inappropriate.”

  Kim shook her head and stepped around the counter. “I understand how you feel, Laura. I did feel a bit awkward when your husband phoned, but any man who loves his wife as much as yours does, well…let’s just say you’re lucky to have a man who loves you so much that he doesn’t leave you to figure out everything yourself. I can also see how you would find it irritating at times, though.”

  Kim had surprised her, and Laura found herself wanting to confide just how frustrating it was at times, but she had to remind herself that she couldn’t change Andy. He was an amazing man—except for the fact that he made her so mad at times like these.

  “I’m sorry about Gabriel,” Kim said. “Andy mentioned what they found.”

  Laura had to blink back tears as she struggled to hold it together. She’d been numb from the news and had wanted a moment to sit by herself and just cry, but she hadn’t had a spare second to herself. Maybe that was why a tear leaked out before she could blink it back.

  “Hey, listen, come and sit down,” Kim said, rubbing her back and leading her over to a seat at the round oak table. Kim pulled a chair out beside her, and Laura tried to pull herself together. She nearly jumped when she heard the kettle shriek.

  “I boiled water, thought you might like some tea. I was going to ask, too, if I could heat you up some dinner. Have you eaten?” Kim slid back the chair and unplugged the kettle.

  “I’m not hungry, but tea would be nice,” Laura said. “I know Andy did the shopping. Not sure what he bought, but check the cupboard by the sink. That’s where the coffee and tea are.”

  Kim searched through the cupboard and pulled out a box. “Green tea,” she said, holding it up.

  “Sure,” Laura said. She was about to say more but was at a loss for anything else to talk about.

  “I understand if you’re not hungry, but you should try to eat something for those babies, at least. They need their mama healthy. I make a great omelette. Could I whip one up for you?” Kim offered as she made herself at home in Laura’s kitchen, setting two steaming mugs at the table.

  “You don’t have to wait on me, Kim,” Laura said. She glanced up at her neighbor, who was just trying to help, and saw the awkwardness there. “Why don’t I just drink this tea, and I’ll think about the omelette?”

  Kim winked at Laura. “Sure,” she said, taking a seat across from her and setting her hands around her mug.

  “Andy’s supposed to call and let me know how Gabriel is, how the tests go,” Laura said. “The doctor is running more tonight. I just don’t know how this happened. I mean, before I met Andy, I really tried to make sure Gabriel was always healthy. I can’t help thinking this is because of something I did.”

  Kim appeared confused for a second before she asked, “Gabriel isn’t Andy’s son?”

  Why was Laura talking about this? The last thing she wanted was for more gossip to spread about her, for people to start talking about her misguided teenage years. She could feel her face burning. “No. Andy married me over a year ago, but he loves Gabriel as his own.”

  Kim reached forward and touched Laura’s hands, gripped together on the table. “That must have been hard for you before. You’re so young. Is Gabriel’s father in the picture?”

  “No, Andy is Gabriel’s father in every way that counts,” Laura said. She wanted Kim to stop asking so many questions, but then, she needed to shut her own mouth and stop talking. She was only stirring the other woman’s curiosity every time she spoke.

  “I can tell,” Kim said. “Any man that would accept a child as his own, the way your husband has, is worth keeping. You’re lucky, Laura. I wasn’t as fortunate.” She glanced away, holding on to something that obviously bothered her a great deal.

  “Are you married?” Laura asked. The fact was that she didn’t know the first thing about Kim other than that she was their closest neighbor—and Andy, her husband, felt comfortable enough calling her.

  “Once upon a time,” Kim said. “I was very young and very stupid. I married the first young man to give me a lick of attention. It never could have worked. I was too immature, and he was too much a child himself. I grew up fast, though, learned to stand on my own two feet. It was either swim or drown, and I learned a lot of things the hard way. At one time, I would have given anything to have a man as supportive as yours.”

  Laura wondered if she had pulled a face or something, because hearing that from Kim had her feeling threatened. Maybe she was setting her sights on Andy? Her rational mind said that was nonsense, but her self-conscious irrational mind was running wild. Kim was confident, very pretty, and closer to Andy’s age. Why wouldn’t he want her?

  “I didn’t mean to give you the impression I was after Andy,” Kim said. “A man like him would never work for me, now. I’m too…well, let’s just say I do things my way, the way I want to do them, when I want to do them. I don’t like answering to anyone. Besides, have you stopped and seen how that man watches you and cares for you? Anyone could see he’s stuck his brand on you!” Kim laughed.

  Laura had never seen her relationship with Andy that way. Sure, they’d worked through a lot, but he’d also only married her to protect her and Gabriel. She loved him deeply, so much that it hurt to breathe, and she knew he loved Gabriel as his own son.

  Kim reached over and covered her hand. “Whatever you need, you just ask me. I’ll stay all night if you need me. Don’t feel threatened by me, Laura. Everyone needs someone, and I think we could be really good friends.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure, of course,” Kim said before taking a swallow of her tea.

  “That doctor you gave Andy the name of, is he any good?” Laura asked. She was still shaken by what an arrogant jerk he had been, in her opinion. He had judged her, and she’d seen the way he looked at her, could feel the disapproval in the way he’d talked to her. She should have been happy Andy had recognized that, but she wasn’t.

  “Bruce? Yeah, he’s one of the best in this part of the country. I know he was offered a big opportunity in South Africa a few years ago but chose to stay. He’s a great guy, and Gabriel couldn’t be in better hands.” She frowned. “Is there something wrong? It seems that wasn’t the answer you were looking for.”

  “He said some things. I don’t think he approves of me.”

  Kim appeared puzzled for a moment. “Really? That surprises me. I’ve known him a while from our church, and I haven’t seen that in him. He’s always so pleasant. Maybe you misread him. I mean, this is a stressful situation.”

  “Oh, I doubt that,” Laura said.

  Kim gave her another odd look and then appeared to consider something, but before she could say anything, the phone rang. Laura jumped up and raced for it, grabbing it before it could ring a second time.

  “Hello?” she said, glancing over her shoulder at Kim.

  “Hey, listen. Gabriel just finished with his
tests. They just moved him back to his room.” Andy became quiet on the other end, and Laura’s heart started pounding as her anxiety wound up. She wanted to scream. She felt absolutely helpless, being stuck at home instead of with her son.

  “Andy, how is he?” She shoved her fingers through her hair, rubbing and pulling at a few knots.

  “He’s, uh…Laura, it’s hard on him. I don’t like seeing him like this. He’s still asleep, but I’ll be here when he wakes up.”

  Laura could feel her eyes burning as she listened to her husband. She willed her little boy to be okay, and she wanted more than anything to be there. For the first time in her life, she felt torn, as if caring for her babies was an obligation, and she couldn’t shake her guilt at that thought. “What did the doctor say? What about the test?” she asked. She could hear the hesitation in Andy’s voice and knew he was holding something back. That was what he did. He protected her, all of them, but this time she needed to know. “Please, Andy, stop hiding things from me. I really need to know. I want to come back there.”

  “You can’t, Laura, not with the babies. They’re still nursing. I wish a lot of things, honey, but I need you to be strong, and I need you to get some sleep.”

  She could hear him sigh, and she pulled the phone away and shook her head. She wanted to yell at him, to reach through the phone and shake his arm, but she couldn’t. He had a way of always holding back. “Please, Andy, don’t hide anything. I know you’re always trying to protect me, to protect us, but this is Gabriel—my little boy…”

  “He’s ours, Laura,” Andy said, cutting her off, and she could hear in the sharp tone how thoughtless a remark that had been.

  “You know that’s not what I meant. I know you love him, and he loves you so much,” she said.

  “Listen, I’ll tell you more about what the doctor said tomorrow, but the tests haven’t come back yet, and we won’t know anything about how far advanced the leukemia is or where they’ll start for treatment until then,” he said. “Are the babies asleep?”